I know it's not a popular opinion, but it's my opinion. Whether right or wrong, only the future knows. I just don't see him fitting into the Alabama running back mold.

Let's look back at running backs under Nick Saban at Alabama...

2007: Terry Grant (5'9, 190) carried the load, and after him was Glen Coffee (6'1, 200), followed by Roy UpChurch (6'0, 205).
2008: Glen Coffee (6'1, 200) carried the load, then Mark Ingram (5'9, 210), and then Roy UpChurch (6'0, 205) spelling both of them.
2009: Mark Ingram (5'9, 210) carried the team, followed by Trent Richardson (5'9, 220), and then spelled by Roy UpChurch (6'0, 205).
2010: Mark Ingram (5'9, 210) carried the load, followed by Trent Richardson (5'9, 220), and then Eddie Lacy (6'0, 220) spelled both of them.
2011:Trent Richardson (5'9, 220) carried the load, followed by Eddie Lacy (6'0, 220), with Jalston Fowler (6'0, 235 pounds) spelling them.
2012: Eddie Lacy (6'0, 220) carried the load, followed by TJ Yeldon (6'1, 215 pounds), with Kenyan Drake (6'1, 200) spelling both of them.
2013: TJ Yeldon, Kenyan Drake, Jalston Fowler, Derrick Henry, Altee Tenpenny, Dee Hart, Tyren Jones, and whoever else.

Look at the size of the starting running backs. Aside from Terry Grant, there haven't been any smaller backs. Even when Mark Ingram was a freshman, he was around 210 pounds. I just don't see a guy like Tyren Jones or Dee Hart ever being the go to guy for this offense. If history stays true, Alabama will keep riding those big backs.

Regarding the camps, what were Trent Richardson and Mark Ingram measured in at? Mark Ingram was listed at 5'10 while attending Alabama, and Trent Richardson was listed at 5'11 while attending Alabama. They both ended up being 5'9 at the NFL combine. Still, they are and were built different than Dee Hart and Tyren Jones.

And I just typed way too much for something that we'll have to wait to see.

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Posted by MagillaGuerilla

Nick Fairley Fan Club, Founder

Member since Nov 2009

35446 posts

Posted on 7/1/13 at 8:53 pm to TTsTowel

It's not a popular one because it's not a particularly good one. You've always put too much emphasis on size equating style. TJ Yeldon was 6-1, 220 last season and he had more scat back plays than he did power back ones. Scat back =/= cannot take a beating up the gut.

Terry Grant wasn't a recruited or signed back by Saban, he was meant to be a complementary back in Shula's offense. He did have problems running up the gut in '07, but he also had injury problems going into almost every season at the Capstone.

I've already spoken on Hart, he has done nothing to prove he is or isn't anything other than injury prone. He tore his ACL in a practice and then his other the next year fielding a punt. He went down before the defender even got to him.

Tyren Jones at the very least showed up at 200, and that's not a finite weight for his career or even this season. He's not expected to be a top 3 option, but none of the freshman are expected to be. That's not to say he won't play, which he very well could from summer reports.

I think you're stat scouting a bit too much. He's not going to Auburn so it's understandable, but Tyren Jones isn't what you believe he is. He's not a scat back, complementary back, or anything like that.

While a "Saban Back" may not be a scat back, it's definitely not just a power back either. It's more about the nuances of the position coupled with talent.

I think this conversation is even more off base when it comes to the subject of this thread. To bring up this, is no different than any other straw grasping that opposing fanbases are shooting down in here. Which seems to be Carvell's point of making that statement...

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Posted by CapstoneGrad06